Monday, March 26, 2012

Travis Pastrana running RallyCross with Dodge

   X Games star and part-time NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana will run a full schedule in the new Global RallyCross Championship Series this season with Dodge, driving its new Dodge Dart.

   Pastrana, 28, is a four-time Rally America champion and owner of multiple supercross and motorcross championships. He also owns Nitro Circus, an empire that includes a television show, live tours and 3D feature film project.

   “When I first heard about GRC, I was really interested, and after watching some of the rounds last year and then actually competing at X Games I was hooked!” said Pastrana. “Now to be able to partner with Dodge to field my own program this year is a dream come true."

    Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC, called Pastrana a natural fit for its program.

   “Travis is a living example of what action sports activities are all about, so he fits in perfectly with the youthfulness and passion for performance of the Dodge brand,” he said. “He’s proven that he can handle just about anything with wheels."

   Global RallyCross is a spin-off of the X Games rally races. It combines the skill of rally racing with the excitement of X Games. The series consists of seven racing events in closed-course rally tracks and incorporates bumper-to-bumper competition among 600 horsepower all-wheel drive vehicles. The series begins May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and concludes September 29 in Las Vegas.